Jul 8, 2009

Ferris Wheel in Japan

The original Ferris wheel dates back to 1893 and was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.. I enjoy looking at them, but I do not enjoy riding them.

I thought I would feel better about riding this one since they are gondolas that are completely covered. No fear of falling out. This ferris wheel never stops, so it goes at a snail's pace to allow people to get on and off. There were several points where it felt like we had stopped.

The first couple of minutes were exciting for me. I was trying to get as much of the view in as possible. But the higher we went the more anxious I became. The feeling that I had lost total control over my destiny kept eating at my mind. I just sat quietly and tried to focus on the view. There was the ocean and port off in the near distance. My husband was pointing out his favorite houses below. The sun was on the horizon. As we reached the bottom safely, my husband wondered how much the ferris wheel shakes during an earthquake. Ha! I am glad that thought didn't occur to me while we were at the top. Our last strong earthquake was May 2008.

Actually the largest ferris wheel now (March 2008) is here in Singapore where i live - it's known as the Singapore Flyer. but word has it that another giant is coming up (shanghai? taiwan?) that will be even bigger.